Hughes returns to Riders with regrets over leaving for Argos
“I really want to help the team win a Grey Cup,' veteran defensive end says
Charleston Hughes has a few regrets about having departed the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the Toronto Argonauts.
“I never should have left,” the veteran defensive end said Tuesday after it was announced that he had rejoined the Green and White. “I should have stayed with the Riders and finished my career there.”
Hughes spent two CFL seasons (2018 and 2019) with the Riders, leading the CFL in sacks each year.
After the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID -19, he reached an impasse with the Roughriders on negotiations toward a new deal.
Saskatchewan released him on Feb. 3, 2021, shortly before he was eligible to test free agency. He signed a two-year deal with the Argonauts the next day.
“The ball was in my court when I left (Saskatchewan),” Hughes, 38, said from his off-season home in Mount Clemens, Mich.
“(General manager and vice-president of football operations) Jeremy O'day was honest and legit when it came to negotiations. I had to respect him because he kept it straightforward with me, but I had to make a decision that was best for me at the time. I learned that I never took into account everything else besides the money.”
Hughes dressed for nine games with the Argonauts in 2021, registering 18 defensive tackles and two sacks. He was released on Dec. 27.
“I'm just going to say that it wasn't the right fit,” he said.
Hughes's statistics in Toronto paled in comparison to the numbers he posted in Saskatchewan. In 34 regular-season games with the Roughriders, he had 31 sacks, seven forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns.
With that in mind, Hughes reached out to rekindle the relationship with the Roughriders.
“I approached them,” he said. “I let them know that I really wanted to come back to Saskatchewan and that I didn't want to play anywhere else. I wanted to go to a place where I had a great amount of success and I could continue to build off that as a player. I really want to help the team win a Grey Cup.”
Hughes is well aware of the CFL'S labour situation, with the collective-bargaining agreement expiring on Saturday at 10 p.m. CST.
The league is to present a new contract proposal to the CFL Players' Association on Wednesday. This comes at a time when the CFLPA has advised its members not to travel to training camps until further notice.
“It has been uncertain since COVID hit, so nothing really changes there,” Hughes said. “You read, react, adjust and just keep moving forward.”
Hughes, a six-time CFL all-star, rejoins a Riders defensive line that already features defensive end A.C. Leonard. Leonard led the CFL with 11 sacks in 11 games during the 2021 season.
Jonathan Woodard, who had 10 sacks in 14 games with the Riders last season, signed with the NFL'S Kansas City Chiefs during the off-season. However, he was recently released by the Chiefs, and the Roughriders retain his CFL rights. It is conceivable, then, that Woodard, Leonard and Hughes could be among the team's defensive ends in 2022.
“I'll just be filling in where I'm needed,” Hughes said. “Whatever they ask of me, I'll be there to do it.”
Hughes will also be called on to fill that role as one of the CFL'S oldest active players. He said that he has been training for the upcoming season and doesn't feel that his age will be a factor in his performance.
“I've really done a good job of preserving my athleticism, my ability and my good looks,” he said with a chuckle.
Hughes has 132 sacks over 13 seasons in the CFL, the first 10 of which were spent with the Calgary Stampeders. He trails former Hamilton Tiger-cats star Grover Covington, the CFL'S all-time sack leader, by 25.
ALATORRE MONTOYA SIGNS
The Roughriders have signed offensive lineman Diego Alatorre Montoya, their third-round pick (27th overall) in the 2022 draft. He spent four seasons with UBC Thunderbirds before being drafted.
Alatorre Montoya is the seventh Riders 2022 draft choice to sign in advance of the opening of Wednesday's rookie camp at the University of Saskatchewan.
Samuel Emilus, the Riders' firstround (seventh overall) selection, remains unsigned. He is to attend the Arizona Cardinals' rookie mini-camp on the weekend.
The Riders also added two Americans — quarterback Troy Williams and receiver Jeremiah Haydel — on Tuesday.
ROOKIE CAMP
The Riders' rookie camp takes place Wednesday through Friday at Griffiths Stadium. Sessions run from 10:10 a.m. to noon.